“I hope to live long enough to be the great-grandmother of all agitators.”

“What did it mean for a black woman to be an artist in our grandmothers' time? In our great-grandmothers' day? It is an answer cruel enough to stop the blood.”

“THE GREAT HUMANITYThe great humanity is the deck-passenger on the ship third class on the train on foot on the causeway the great humanity.The great humanity goes to work at eight marries at twenty dies at forty the great humanity.Bread is enough for all except the great humanity rice the same sugar the same cloth the same books the same are enough for all except the great humanity.The great humanity has no shade on his soil no lamp on his road no glass on his windowbut the great humanity has hope you can't live without hope.”

“It agitates me that the skyline there is forever our limit, I long for the power of unlimited vision...If I could behold all I imagine.”

“No,' he said, 'you only have to live long enough to inspire others to do great things.”

“To the champ, everything is serious business. I'm hoping that he'll live long enough to learn that in this world that is a very dangerous attitude.”